House Cleaning

Is it just me or is it bloody well impossible to keep the house clean in Taiwan? Constant dust, insects and mold. As some of you know, I’m a bit compulsive and a tad insane but please don’t let this keep you from responding. You’ll be saving the neighbors on the rooftop below from various projectiles (including dog shit which is good for a laugh) from being launched off of my balcony.

Many thanks.

P.S I live ocean side near the harbor.

It depends where you live. I live right on Chengde Road in Taibei. 7 lanes of dirty vehicles rumbling past 24/7. I launched a war on grime but it’s unwinnable. If they banned ghost money burning (rampant in Datong District) it might help a little.

f-16’s and various other military jets are presently doing manouevers over my building. The airfield is within sight. There’s what I believe to be a nuclear power plant in the distance (red and white candycane smoke stack). Constant constuction and the fact that I’m on the harbor (Ahn-Ping) leads me to believe that the dust coming off the ocean could be an issue.

On the lighter side of it…I have a bird (yet to be indentified) roosting outside my bedroom window; nest, egg and all.

Can’t do much except than keeping the windows closed most of the time and cleaning more often. Run a dehumidifer or the air-con against the mold. I have nettings on most windows so I don’t have an insect problem but I literally hunt down any mosquito that sneaks in somehow. Keeping the air inside cool and dry helps with that, too.

Agree with Rascal. Dehumidifier works great and I also burn those little insect repellant coils outside my door in the evenings. Having a cleaning lady stop by every couple weeks doesn’t hurt either :laughing:

That candycane smokestack thing sounds like a garbage incenerator. And keep an eye on that bird - if the chicks come out with two heads, I’m wrong.

Those chicken feather duster sticks work really well. I also have a bit of a fetish for Pine-Sol. Even if the place is filthy, it at least smells like a sterilized hospital ward.

If it’s a nuclear plant I wouldn’t worry, then it’s just condensation from the cooling towers. It could be radioactive though. :wink:

But I think there isn’t any nuclear plant near An Ping (and the cooling towers are typically short and wide), so it’s probably what merge suspects, or some factory fumes.

Monster -
Its a garbage burner plant…note the lack of a night time green glow associated with nuklear plants.

I’m with rascal on the Pinesol thing.
The wife is constantly amazed that I bring home some new cleaning concoction with every market visit. Its a toss up right now between Dr. Johnson (name alone is a winner) vs. Magic Amah (another winning name) vs any OxyClean product.
I do miss the powdered scrubbing cleaners like Ajax, Bon Ami, Vim and such. I’ve been occasionally using baking soda…but I like Ajax better on this damn mold.

So take heart…you are not alone.

Run the aircon even in winter on humid days (for an hour or so) as it sucks the mold-supporting moisture faster than anything.

Get a Honeywell air filter. Makes a huge difference to the dust and mold spors.

I live by the river so little dust. Before my cat moved in I could vacuum as little as once every 1.5 weeks. Now in spring every day. If your area is too dusty consider moving.

Seasonal winds in spring come from the west so your gettign dust from the mainland. See if it is better in summer and fall when winds come from the east. Of course you are on the ocean so you will get dust picked up on Taiwan. :slight_smile: Bad location.

Pinesol good though it makes the apartment smell like a urinal.

Don’t ask me. I have no mosquito netting, no aircon but big holes where the they used to be, an open door to my balcony, and I live with 55 dogs next to a dusty construction contractor. :s

What colour is the birdie?

It’s gray with a black dot below it’s eye. Looks to be a species of morning dove. She used to fly away when I’d take a beak (har har) but has now taken to giving me a “WTF do you want now?” look. Hens…can’t live with’em…

I’ve got a pigeon setting up roost on my air-conditioner. I haven’t the heart to chase her away tonight, but come morning I’ll turn the ac on, wave something in her general directions. I like pigeons, but they make a mess and once she actually has a nest and eggs then it’ll be too late.